The Beautiful and The Dangerous
by AvadaKedavraAndYou'reDead
Summary: Maybe it was true. Maybe Tom Riddle was incapable of loving. Or maybe he wasn't.
1. Prologue

_With skin like white marble, eyes seductively red and a constant longing for blood we are the beautiful and the dangerous. The most feared creature ever lived.  
We live overshadowed, as a myth. But we do exist._

~*~

Prologue

**June; 1840**

Nagini held her breath as her mother helped get her corset on. She absolutely hated wearing it. It practically crushed her ribs.

"There we are," said her mother as she tied the last string of the death trap with her wand.

Hardly able to breathe, Nagini turned to face her. "Thank you, mother," she mumbled.

The old woman corrected Nagini's blonde, shoulder length, straight hair and helped her put on the blue dress. Then, stepping backwards she eyed her daughter in displease.

"Haven't I told you to clean those dirty nails?" she said in a harsh tone, grabbing Nagini's thin wrist. "How many times do I have to tell you that young women like you shouldn't be outdoors tree-climbing or swimming in dirty rivers. Where have I gone wrong raising you?"

Nagini frowned slightly.

"I wan't you downstairs as soon as you're clean; Charles will be here any minute now." her mother commanded and walked out with her head held high.

Nagini stared after her for a moment before collapsing on the bed, burying her face in her hands. She felt like throwing up.

From downstairs she could hear the doorbell ring and the courteous greetings, empty laughters and gossip being exchanged. Nothing more than the usual, that is.

"Nagini!" her mother cried.

Nagini sighed, picked up her dress and walked out her room.

"There you are," her mother said, giving her a murderous glance.  
If only looks could kill ...

"Good evening, miss Kerrich." Charles Dewdney, the pure-blood manic, rich man and her soon-to-be fiance, said as he strutted toward her. With his thin black hair, his tiny eyes that were a murky, unpleasant mix of brown and green and his large nose he was downright repulsive.

Nagini smiled, though she really wanted to scream or throw something heavy at his enervating smirk. "Good evening."

"Shall we?" he said, offering her an arm.

Nagini reluctantly grabbed him by the arm and he led her out the garden. "It's such a beautiful evening, don't you think?"

"Very," she answered honestly. Because, even though she had to spend it with the person she disliked the most in the whole wide world, it was beautiful.

They walked in silence to the big fountain she once had loved because of it's soothing rainfall sound. Now it only symbolized her arranged marriage.

Nagini sat down on the edge and suddenly her life flashed before her eyes.  
However, Charles sweaty hands grabbing her right one shook her out of her flashbacks.

"Nagini Kerrich," he mumbled as he went down on his knees in front of her. "Will you marry me?"  
In his palm there was a ring with a big, green stone.

Nagini picked it up and reluctantly placed it on her finger. Watching it she imagined herself in ten years, being married to Charles. Now she was certain she was going to throw up. She jumped to her feet and started running. And didn't stop until she was out of breath.  
There was no one else but her in the street. Buildings surrounded her, keeping her caged in that dreadful city, trying to stop her attempts at freedom. She would have ran into the forest if it wasn't beginning to darken. The forest was dangerous at night, she'd heard.

The sound of people talking and laughing drifted from the street she had previously come from and she accelerated.  
There was an alleyway to her left, leading to the other street on the opposite side of the buildings that trapped her. A group of drunken men passed by the opening and noticed her. They started to murmur amongst themselves. Nagini didn't want to stay and find out what it was they were talking about, so she turned on her heel and started walking the other way. Only, she could still hear their murmurs, so she knew that they must be following her.

Nagini looked over her shoulder. They were closer than she'd thought. Turning back she started running. She heard them approaching. She didn't even wanna think of what would happen if they got to her. She'd heard many story's about alone, young women at night. Each more horrifying then the other.

Just as she pulled out her wand a rough hand grabbed her shoulder and the wand fell out of her hand and landed a few metres away.

"Let go!" she screamed and turned to face the one who'd grabbed her. The man had short black hair, a straight nose, small eyes, very straight white teeth and a stupid goatee.

"Well aren't we feisty?" He teased with a smirk.

Nagini ignored his comment and asked, "What do you want?"'

He smiled a toothy grin.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She said and tried to carry on walking. He grabbed her arm.

"Sir, if you don't let go of me this instant, I'm going to ..."

He leaned forward so that their noses almost touched. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. "What? Scream?" He laughed cruelly. "Be my guest. No one will hear you."

Nagini reacted without thought. Staring into his empty brown eyes, she slapped him in the face.

The man responded quicker than she had anticipated. He threw her forcefully against the fence, making Nagini gasp in pain and shock.

"Now, don't be like that, princess. I and my guys just want to get to know you." Nagini knew exactly what he meant by that.

She started struggling against his hold. "LET GO!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

He pulled her closer to him and grabbed both her arms. "Now we can't have that."

Nagini glared at him, watching the smirk once again spread across his lips. Not being able to do any damage to him seeing as he had her arms secured and she couldn't kick him because of her dress, she spat a wad of saliva onto his face.

She stared at him with both fear and amusement as his smirk vanished. Anger burned in his eyes. For a moment or two she was certain he was going to kill her, then he shoved her to the group of men behind him. "Do whatever you want with her. I really don't care." He said and wiped away the saliva with the back of his hand as he continued down the path Nagini so desperately wanted to continue on as well.

The men started to laugh among themselves, as they tossed her from one to the other, like a rag doll. One of them grabbed the bottom of her torn dress and ripped it further. When she screamed one of them hit her in the face and she stopped short, which made them laugh even harder.

A slim man, with short ginger hair and light gold eyes grabbed her shoulders and threw her forcefully to the ground. Ginger bent down and reached for the top of her dress. She lashed out and punched him in the face. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" she shrieked at him hoping that someone would hear and come to her rescue.

His hand clutched her throat and squeezed as he hauled her up to a sitting position. "For your own good, Missy, you better shut up." He snarled at her.

"Fuck off, you prat!" Nagini spat back at him and snuck a peek at her wand. If only she could reach it ...

Ginger raised his hand to hit her again, when one of the drunks surrounding them shrieked.  
Then a second, and a third. The blood drained from Ginger's face. "What the bloody hell is going on?" he cried and stood up, letting go of Nagini.

"Ackley? Clive? Grover? Where are they?"

"They just disappeared." The one who'd ripped her dress said.

Another scream.  
Ginger spun around. "Where's Loxley? What the hell is going on?" He cried.

Then a deep growl broke through the tense summer air.  
"What the bloody hell was that?" a blond, short man said. Slowly, Nagini started to drag herself toward her wand. Most didn't seem to notice she was escaping, but one bent down and tried to grab her ankle.

That's when he appeared.

Moving faster than her human eyes could follow he stood in front of them. He was magnificent. With thick, wavy blonde hair, high cheek bones, a straight nose and icy blue eyes.  
Nagini had stopped moving and now stared at the creature as spellbound. All the others had backed away from him subconsciously. No, correction, all but Ginger.  
He stood still, staring at the blonde.  
The blonde grabbed him by the throat, lifting him into the air.  
Ginger wriggled in his grip trying to loosen it, but failing miserably. His body went limp and Blondie dropped him on the ground.

Turning, the blonde faced the now retreating men and a toothy smirk broke across his face.  
That's when she saw his fangs.  
The blood froze in Nagini's veins and she flung herself at the wand. Grabbing it she jumped to her feet, aiming it at the vampire.

"Ah. A witch," he remarked softly. The vampire disappeared and Nagini exhaled in relief. She'd just turned to leave when she felt a cold hand caress her neck and shoulders.  
Nagini momently spun around.

"I will kill you if you don't go away, vampire," she hissed through compressed teeth.

The blonde laughed. "A sixth grader like you don't stand a chance against me." He disappeared again, moving at the speed of light. The next moment he appeared behind her again.  
Nagini shivered as he stroke her neck with a long, pale finger. "Wanna live for an eternity?" He whispered in her ear, his voice low and alluring.  
Nagini screamed on the top of her lungs as she felt the prick of his fangs as they pierced the flesh of her neck. The world began to blur and soon she was unconscious.

When she woke she first noticed that she was laying on the ground. Slowly she pushed herself into a sitting position and took in her surroundings. Everything was the same, but still it all felt new to her. Things looked ... brighter and clearer to her eyes, she could smell things that she could never smell before and she could hear people talking, although they were inside the buildings. Her senses was a hundred times better and the world a hundred times more beautiful. However the burning sensation in her throat stole her attention away from how everything looked, smelt and sounded. She jumped to her feet, her hand clutching her throat.

Then she heard the sound of someone approaching from behind, heard its heart pound and smelled its blood.  
The hunger overpowered her body and she started running toward the fatal. In a matter of seconds she'd blocked its way. It was a old man. He stared at her with fear in his eyes.

What the hell am I doing? I can't kill him ... she thought, beginning to back off.

"Don't be so damn chicken-hearted. You know you want to drink his blood," the blonde urged from behind her. She'd heard him coming. "Do it!"

Nagini unconsciously licked her lips. He was right. She wanted the old mans blood. Wanted and needed it badly.

In two seconds she'd tackled him to the ground and pierced him with her fangs.  
She felt the warm blood and felt the hunger disappear.  
The old man laid dead in her arms.

What have I done? What if he had a family waiting for him at home? What if he had children? A wife?

Nagini felt tears stinging her eyes.

"Welcome to your new life as an immortal, miss Kerrich," the blond said as Nagini carefully put down the old mans head and stood up.  
She slowly turned, her eyes darkening as she approached the other vampire. "You did this to me," she hissed.

"You should be thanking me," The blonde said, backing off a few steps.

Nagini felt the rage lit inside of her. He made her into this monster. She'd just killed an old, defenseless man because of what he did to her. And for that he was going to pay.

"It's your fault he's dead!" Nagini roared pointing at the remains of the man.

"He was nothing but a simple fatal ..."

Nagini roared grabbing his collar and throwed him at the fence with such force he flew straight through it and through the nearest building.  
In a second she was standing over him with a furiously expression.

"Please ..."

Nagini ignored his pleading as she mercilessly grabbed his neck and twisted it around, breaking it.

Then she ran.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter one

**September; 1945**

Nagini walked the streets of London with her hands in her pockets. The rain was pouring heavily around her. She barely noticed, even though she was soaking wet.

It was only an hour left before the departure of the Hogwarts Express and Nagini was no longer so sure about completing her wizarding-education.  
What if she snapped and started killing innocent students?  
The headmaster, though, believed otherwise. He'd come to visit her about a month ago and told her he, not only, knew that she was a half-vampire but also a witch. He'd said she was free to go hunting animals outside the Hogwarts-territory whenever she felt the bloodlust and that it wasn't going to be a problem, for as long she kept it a secret.

Slightly strengthened by his faith in her, Nagini followed the swarm of fatals into King's Cross station. Once inside, the smell of human blood hit her like a slap in the face and she felt the great urge to suck their blood.  
She felt her fangs grow, the smell almost overwhelming her.

Maybe just a little sip? Just a ... just a little one ... They wouldn't feel more than a prick ...

Nagini stopped short in her tracks, snapping out of the daze she was in. This wasn't going to work. This was against her nature.

She turned on her heel to leave but instantly came to a halt.  
She gasped, unable to tare her eyes of off the young man. He was the most beautiful fatal she'd ever seen. With thick, black hair, dark eyes, pale skin and a athletic figure.  
He was gracefully moving through the crowd, toward her.

However, it wasn't only his looks that attracted her to him, it was his way of walking past her without even noticing her. Any other men would have stared at her vampire-ish looks.

Unable to stop herself, Nagini glanced at him over her shoulder and she thought for a moment he turned his head and looked her in the eye.

Then something hard hit her in the side. Frustrated she turned her head and found a dark, black-haired boy laying on the ground at her feet. What probably was his trolley, and also the thing who'd hit her, laid beside him and his things spread around them.

"Watch it!" Nagini snapped at him. As she glanced over her shoulder again, the young man was gone. Slightly disappointed she turned to the dark-skinned boy again. "Sorry 'bout that. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks," he said and jumped to his feet beginning to gather his things. Nagini bent down to help and picked up a book of his. "'Romeo and Juliet'? Do people still read this book?" she murmured to herself, not realizing how loud she'd spoken.

"I do. It's my favorite book. Bet I've read it at least a hundred times. 'But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.'" He quoted theatrically.

Nagini rolled her eyes. "It's just a bunch of nonsense, according to me."

The boy placed his hand against his chest and looked appalled. "You monster." He said and snatched the book out of her hands.

For a moment Nagini thought he knew, then she realized he was referring to her opinion about the book. She couldn't help but laugh in relief and the boy smiled in response.

Then a girl's voice called out to her left, addressing them. It was so high pitched that it hurt her ears.

"Navid! You klutz, come on! We're going to miss the train!"

Navid closed his eyes with a grimace. "Well, I gotta go. Thanks for the help and I'm sorry I ran into you, well no, I'm not actually." He smiled, "I'm Navid Cross by the way, and that crybaby is my little-sister, Kaidi." He picked up the last of his possessions and turned to address Nagini . "You didn't tell me your name."

"Nagini Kerrich."

"Well nice to meet you," he said grabbing his trolley.  
She nodded and he started walking toward his sister.

Nagini stared after him for a moment before grabbing her own trolley, running up with him.  
"You're not possibly on the way to platform nine and three quarters, are you?" she asked quietly.

Navid laughed. "You bet I am."

"Well, I'm new; I've been transferred here from Beauxbatons, so I don't really know how to get there."

"Then I'll show you. It's really simple actually. You see that brickwall between platform nine and ten?"

Nagini nodded. "What about it?"

"That's the entrance."

"Like the one behind Leaky Cauldron?" Nagini asked.

"Nope."

"Then what-"

"Just do as I do," Navid interrupted with a crooked smile. Then suddenly he started running, so Nagini copied.

The solid brickwall approached at breakneck speed and she closed her eyes as they went straight through it.  
When she opened her eyes again, she first saw a overcrowded platform and a bright red train.

"Welcome to platform nine and three quarters, miss Kerrich," Navid said in a solemn voice and bowed deeply.

Nagini answered with an equally solemn voice, "Why, thank you. Now; escort me to my compartment."

"Of course, milady."

They entered the train and started walking through the train-corridor searching for a compartment.

"Here's one," Navid announced and hoisted their trunks up above the luggage rack.

"My-my, aren't you a gentleman! Thank you, mister Cross," Nagini said and sat down on the couch-like seat.

"Please, call me Navid. We're friends, right?" Navid said and flung himself into the seat opposite her.

"Right," Nagini answered.

"Now; are you like ... going to be sorted along with the first-years or what?"

"I've already been sorted, actually." she said, "I'm in Slytherin -"  
She paused as she saw Navid's facial expression. "What? Is that a good or a bad thing?"

Navid laughed genuine. "Most would have said bad, but I'm not the one falling for peer pressure, so I must say good."

"What does that even mean?"

"Well, Slytherin is said to be the 'house of the evil'"

"Why? I don't believe the sorting hat sorts all the bad people into one house just like that ..."

"True. But to be honest," Navid lowered his voice, "Most are kinda pure-blood manic, manipulative and overambitious. I mean; the half of us could easily stab one another in the back just to achieve something. Don't get me wrong though; there are exceptions."

"And you are -"

"Definitely an exception." Navid said, eyes glittering. "Bet you are too."

Nagini smiled and looked out the compartment-door. "Well, I sincerely hope so."

The next second she found herself dumbfoundedly staring at the boy who kept taking her breath away. He walked past their compartment, his head held high and even through the glass, she could see his beauty as if it was radiating off of him. As if it was glimmering against the window. He caught her eye and she was sure she saw him smile.  
Nagini gasped once again and even though he was gone, she couldn't stop staring out the corridor.

Thankfully Navid snapped her out of her trance a second later.

"Earth calling," he teased moving his hand back and forth across her face.

"Who is that boy?" Nagini breathed.

Navid looked out the corridor. "Who?"

"That tall, black-haired boy ... He just past our compartment ..."

Navid frowned. "I believe you're talking about Tom Riddle. He's head boy and best in every class. I haven't talked to him that much, even though I've shared dorm with him since our first year. He's kind of a loner and calls himself Voldemort, something. Think he's an orphan. Some say he's related with Salazar Slytherin - the founder of Slytherin. They say he can talk Parseltongue -"

"What's Parseltongue?" Nagini asked, glancing out the window.

"It's the language of serpents."

"So you're saying he can talk to snakes?" she said in disbelief.

"Some say so. I don't believe it though. Anyway, most just stay out of his way."

Nagini nodded though she had no attention of staying out of his way. Quite the opposite.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter two

**1 September**

How to describe the sorting ceremony with one word; Boring. As hell.  
Over and over again Nagini found herself wishing for it to end.

" ... and so I welcome you all back for another educative and innovative year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! As the most of you know, The House cup is a yearly award and is given at the end of the school year to the House with the most House points, which can be any House -"

"Slytherin." Navid coughed and those who sat closest to him laughed subdued, including Nagini, who was sitting opposite him. "We've won the House cup ten years in a row," he whispered to her with a grin.

The ceremony continued and Nagini couldn't prevent herself from glancing at Tom every other second. He sat diagonally across from her but wasn't, much to her chagrin, paying her any attention.

" ... and with that I just have one more thing to say: Let the feast begin!"

Nagini snuck another peek at Tom, who was pouring himself a glass of pumpkin juice. "Excuse me," she said, causing him to look at her. "Could you send me the juice, please?"

Tom studied her for a moment, then shoved her the jug without a word and accidently knocked her half-full glass, making it topple over.  
Nagini instinctively caught it before it hit the table. When realizing what she'd just done, she looked at Tom a bit panicked, but he barely raised an eyebrow.

"I'm Nagini Kerrich," she said commonly. "You're Tom Riddle, right?"

Tom frowned. Nagini tilted her head to one side, folding her arms. "You know, Voldemort's kinda cool. It suits you."

A genuine smile broke quietly over his lips and Nagini melted.

~*~

**7 September**

For the first time since Nagini had arrived at Hogwarts, she had absolute silence.  
And with the cool wind blowing through her hair, the rustling of the leaves surrounding her and the sun on her face; It was the most relieving and relaxing feeling ever.

It was lunchtime and the late summer sun shone on the fields, were Nagini currently were looking for something to eat. She accelerated until she was no longer visible to the mortals, almost flying through the air.

Suddenly the scent of blood filled her nostrils and she came to a halt. She watched the grazing cow for a moment. It had felt her presence and she could see the fear in its eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered grabbing its neck. Then she pierced his artery with her fangs feeling the warmth of the blood as it pooled in her mouth. She'd drained the cow in under a minute. By the time there was only a empty shell left.  
She drained another one, and then another one.

Eventually she returned to Hogwarts, strengthened by the blood.  
She entered the Great hall with a good couple of minutes to go before her next lesson.

"'Ey! Nagini! Come sit over here!" Navid shouted and waved toward her. "Where have you been anyway? I haven't seen you since Charms."

Nagini walked over to the table and took a seat next to him. "Outside."

"Ugh," Navid said and took a large bite of a pasty.

"You know, some fresh air wouldn't hurt you, Navid," Nagini teased.

Before he managed to reply, a girl opposite him demonstratively cleared her throat.  
The girl had long, dark curls that fell below her rib cage, high cheekbones, pale skin and sparkling green eyes. Pretty much perfect. However, Tom was still the number one most perfect fatal, although he hadn't talked to her more than once since the sorting ceremony.

"Right," Navid said, gesturing toward the girl. "Nagini, this is Annabeth Knight. Ana, meet Nagini Kerrich."

Annabeth extended her hand to greet. "So this is the famous Nagini. You know, the whole school's talking 'bout you. You're like a celebrate!"

Nagini smiled slightly and grasped her hand. "Do you mind if I call you Beth?"

~*~

**20 October**

"See you in an hour," Navid said to Nagini, giving her a one-armed hug. Letting go off Nagini he turned to the snogging couple beside them. "Would you mind stop your little snog fest, just for a second? You're making me throw up."

Annabeth let go off the boy named Tristan, who currently were her boyfriend, with a sneer. "Don't be such a buzz killer, Navid."

Navid shook his head, a crooked smile on his face, and drifted off to the left, waving lamely over his shoulder.

Annabeth immediately carried on snogging, making Nagini sigh for the umpteenth time. "Come on, Beth," she said, dragging her friend toward the dungeons.

"Fuck potions." Annabeth said, struggling in her hold, trying to hold on to Tristans clothing. "I don't wanna go! Let go, Naggie!"

"Hun," Nagini stopped, cupping Annabeth's face within her hands, looking into her eyes seriously. "Have I ever told you, you are the biggest sniveller the world has ever known?"  
A grin broke out on Nagini's face.

"That was a blow below the belt! You're evil, Nag," Annabeth said and started walking toward the potions classroom. "Evil I tell you!"

"Arh. Don't be like that, Beth," Nagini laughed and followed the fellow Slytherin.

"The Draught of Living Death is an extremely powerful sleeping potion. It sends the drinker into a deep trance that mimics the state of death ..."

Instead of listening to what Professor Slughorn was actually saying, Nagini watched his thin lips move. She liked Horace Slughorn. So far, he was her favorite teacher. Although she didn't really fancy the subject.

Next to her Annabeth yawned intentionally, making Nagini hide a smile behind her textbook.

"Now, who can tell me the name of the counter potion? Mr Riddle?"

Nagini stiffened at his voice, glancing at him where he sat; two rows behind her.

"The Wiggenweld Potion, sir," Tom answered, his voice dark and alluring. Nagini felt goosebumps all over her body.

"Correct, mr Riddle. Five points to Slytherin," the professor said, beaming.

"That Riddle boy is such a teachers-pet, don't you think?" Annabeth whispered.

"Uh-huh," Nagini answered quietly, pretending to listen to the professor. She could still feel Annabeth's eyes on her.

"Shut up!" She exclaimed.

Nagini hushed at her, but there was no stopping now.

"You fancy him, don't you?" She called out, loud enough for the whole class to hear her.

"Shut it, Beth," Nagini said under her breath. She could feel the eyes of every single of her classmates on her.

"What's going on back there? Miss Kerrich, Miss Knight?" Professor Slughorn said.

"Nothing, professor," they said with one mouth.

"Now, where were I? ... Right, you'll find the recipe on page thirty-nine. Off you go."

To avoid any further questions from Annabeth, Nagini darted over to the supplies cupboard. She grabbed a cauldron and turned around, only to be faced by Tom.

"Could you pass me a cauldron?" he asked, his acute gaze drilling through her.

"Sure," Nagini said and handed him her cauldron.

"Thanks," he said simply before walking back over to his table and lighting a fire underneath his cauldron.

"Stop staring. It doesn't suit you," Annabeth said as she passed by.

Nagini looked away, rolling her eyes at her friend. Then turned around to get herself a second cauldron seeing she just gave away her own.

The lesson went by and in the end Nagini's draught looked pretty much like it was described in the book. Annabeth's, on the other side, was purple and smelled like sour milk.

"Excellent, miss Kerrich," Slughorn said to her as he passed their desk.

"You just got lucky," Annabeth mumbled as she started gathering her stuff.

"Someone's jealous," Nagini laughed, then she became serious. "You're keeping quiet 'bout this, right?"

"'Bout what?" Annabeth murmured, shoving her books and parchments down her bag.

"About T-" Nagini lowered her voice, "About Tom, of course. Don't tell Navid."

Annabeth sighed. "I promise. I won't utter a word."

"I want to believe you, but I don't." Nagini said as they left the gloomy dungeon. "I would have made you do the unbreakable vow, but then I would have had to tell a third person."

Annabeth laughed. "See you at dinner, lovergirl."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter three

**22 October**

The sky was crying again, Nagini noticed as she glanced out the enchanted window across her bed.  
Navid laid beside her, resting his head on his fist; parchments and textbooks spread all over the place.  
Annabeth was lying upside-down on the bottom bunk of the four-poster-bed next to Nagini's, focused on the pile of homework they'd to do.

"So ... The first Hogsmeade trip is coming up ..." Navid said, casually flipping through his textbook.

"Yeah," Nagini answered halfheartedly, carefully dipping the tip of her quill into the ink pot on the nightstand next to her bed.

It sounded like Navid was going to say something more. However, If that was the case, Annabeth interrupted him. "Hey, Nag, listen to this," She said, quoting from the Herbology textbook. "'The characteristics of Veela's are blonde hair," She gave Nagini a knowing look. "'blue eyes and white skin. They're also very beautiful and are magically seductive to almost all males -"

"Beth, as much as that matches me -"

"Hush. I haven't got to the best part yet," Annabeth paused in order to clear her throat, then proceeded her reading with a voice of someone telling a horror story. "'When angry, Veela's faces turn into cruel-beaked bird heads and long scaly wings burst from their shoulders.'" She closed the book with a snap and slowly sat up, staring theatrically into the distance. "It all makes sense ..."

"You're such an arse, Beth!" Nagini cried, forcefully throwing a pillow at her face.

The dark haired girl's eyes widened as she looked down at the pillow which was now lying on the floor and then at the girl who'd thrown it. "Oh no you didn't!" she hissed in a dark, murderous voice, her eyes narrowed.

"Oh yes I did!" Nagini countered flinging another pillow at her friend.

Annabeth instantly pulled out her wand, aiming it at her blonde friend. "Say you're sorry!"

"Never!" Nagini screamed.

"I warned you! Rictusempra!" A jet of silver light hit Nagini in the stomach and she fell to the floor, laughing.  
Annabeth fell to the floor second, although she wasn't under a tickling-spell. And third, Navid.

It was days like these, days when they could just lay on the dormitory-floor together for hours, just enjoying each others company and ignoring the other girls complains current Navid's presence, that were the days Nagini was the happiest.

~*~

**25 October**

"No, no, no! You're doing it wrong!" Navid laughed and stood up, grabbing Nagini's arm in which she held her wand. "Here, let me show you."

They were studying transfiguration alone, seeing Annabeth was spending some quality-time with her boyfriend.

"Watch and learn," Navid was moving her arm in small circles in front of them. "Now, you try."

"Like this?" She turned, only to find herself unexpectedly close to the other Slytherin.  
Navid was oddly quiet and somehow it made her stiffen in his arms.

Nagini looked up to ask him to release her, but her request died on her lips as she saw his face. His expression was strangely intent, his features knitted in concentration. And there was something odd about the way he was looking at her. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Nagini turned her face away and by accident spotted the dark-haired beauty across the common room. One of his mates nudged him and nodded in her direction, which made him turn his head and look her straight in the eye. Her heart jumped and butterflies fluttered in her stomach and then, a smile broke across his face. She quickly looked back at Navid, flushing in spite of herself.

"Nagini, there's something I would like to ask you," he said, looking her intensely in the eye.

"Okay." Nagini responded, resisting the great urge to glance at Tom again.

"Would you like to ... to -" Navid paused and looked down at his intertwined hands.

"Nagini?" Navid's lips hadn't moved and the voice was too deep to be her's. Nagini's heart raced when she realized Tom was standing next to her, actually addressing her.  
"Oh, is this a bad time? I hope I'm not interrupting anything important?"

"No, we were just done talking actually," Nagini said, though Navid didn't seem to agree.

"I don't want to be rude or something, but in fact it is a fucking bad time and you areinterrupting something important," he said, crossing his arms in an expression of indignation.

"No, he's not." Nagini countered through compressed teeth, giving Navid a admonitory look.

Tom grinned, looking from one to the other. "Is he, like, your boyfriend or something?"

"No! No, we're just friends," Nagini assured.

Beside her, and little did she know, Navid whispered under his breath, "Right, just friends."

"Well, I'm going out for a night walk in the moonlight, if you care to join me?" His voice was so soft and gentle. She looked into his dark, black eyes which was surrounded by an almost ghostly complexion.

Stunned, she turned back to Navid, biting on her bottom lip, fighting a gigantic smile and breathed, "I'll see you soon."

Navid frowned and his eyes dulled. "Whatever." And he left them.

Nagini turned back, beaming at Tom and he chuckled. He held out a hand and she took it. His eyes widened slightly at the touch.

"But wait, won't we get in trouble?" Nagini asked, looking at her watch. It was an hour past the curfew.

Tom laughed as though she'd just told the most hilarious joke.  
"Nagini, I'm Head boy."

"Right." She nodded and let him lead the way out the common room, down the lake.  
Nagini let her eyes drift over the landscape in front of her. It all bathed in the soft moonlight, making it glow.

They sat down at the edge of the lake in silence. Nagini was waiting for him to say something first.

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?" He turned his head toward her and she noticed how his eyes glittered in the moonlight.

"Y-Yes." She managed to stutter as she stared into his eyes. They were so mesmerising. His dark eyelashes, soft naturally-pouting lips, white pearly skin, his sweet musky scent... All of it. All of it was enough to enchant anyone.

"I've noticed you for a while." He said with a smile. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach started to flutter with the million of butterflies inside it. So he had been noticing her after all! Nagini couldn't prevent the huge smile this time, no matter how hard she bit her lip.

"I've... Noticed you too." She whispered.

He smiled lopsidedly, staring straight into her eyes. His face was so close to hers that she could feel his breath. It had a cool scent of peppermint.  
Thoughts of him and her, happy together, filled her mind as she continued looking at him. The silence was not unnerving, quite the opposite actually. It was comfortable.  
Nagini couldn't remember a time she'd been happier.

~*~

**26 October**

The next morning was back to the ordinary, except for one thing: Navid wasn't waiting for them in the common room eight o´clock as usual.

"Is he sick? Have you heard from him?" Annabeth asked Nagini, who shook her head in response.

"I haven't heard from him since yesterday."

"Let's ask someone from his dorm," Annabeth said, looking around. "Hey, Cobbald!"  
A tiny, pimply, pointy nosed, blonde guy turned to her. "Have you seen Navid?"

"You've missed him. He went down to breakfast half an hour ago," he informed them, then turned back to his friends.

"Why didn't he wait for us, as always?" Annabeth wondered as they stepped into the gloomy corridor outside their common room.

"Maybe he was hungry?" Nagini suggested, avoiding her friends gaze as they started walking toward the great hall.

"Maybe. I still think it's weird though," Annabeth mumbled under her breath.

None of them uttered another word until they reached the entrance hall, were Nagini caught sight of no less than Tom. As they got closer to the majestic doors she heard him call her name and the butterflies in her stomach awoke.  
She stopped short and turned to face Tom who was walking toward her with a small smile on his face. Annabeth that hadn't noticed she'd stopped, now halted and turned to Nagini.

"What are you doing?" She asked, then her gaze drifted to Tom and she frowned.

"Good morning," He greeted Nagini as he approach. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. The simple touch sent shivers up Nagini's spine.

Annabeth stared from Nagini to Tom in disbelief, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Mornin'," Nagini greeted him, smiling from ear to ear. "Are you going to have breakfast?"

"No, unfortunately I've already eaten. But I can walk you to the tab -"

"No, unfortunately you can't," Annabeth snorted, cutting him short and grabbed Nagini's wrist.

Tom tilted his head with an amused smile. "Fine, then I'll leave you alone for now." He said and bent down to whisper in her ear, "I'll see you soon." Then he gave her a short peck on the cheek and walked away, leaving both Nagini and Annabeth speechlessly staring after him.

"What the hell, Nag?" She then said, snapping Nagini out of her trance and she told her everything that had happened the night before.

Annabeth shook her head, staring at a point behind Nagini. "You've broken his heart ..."

"What? Who?" Nagini turned around and followed her gaze. Navid was walking out of the great hall, his hands buried in his pocket and his head lowered. She'd never seen him like that before. "Navid?" She breathed, her eyebrows furrowed.

"We need to talk."

~*~

A chilly October wind swept across the ground, sending colorful leaves across the surface. It was a cloudy and grey afternoon and two girls was walking over by the lake.

'We need to talk.' The shorter one's words were ringing in the blonde's head.

Annabeth stopped abruptly when they reached the bank and turned to address the other one.  
She was quiet for a moment, looking out over the lake.

"Naggie, honey ..." She then said, grabbing Nagini's both hands in hers, hugging them slightly and looking her straight in the eye. "Navid ... He -" She tried to continue, but somehow the words wouldn't come to her.

Nagini looked at her friend, her eyebrows furrowed.

"What I'm trying to say is that ..." Annabeth sighed. "I suck at this."

"What, Annabeth?" Nagini asked impatiently.

"I've known Navid since our third year and ... well, I've only seen him in love once and ... the way he looks at you, the way he speaks of you and the way he acts around you ..."

"No," Nagini shook her head, smiling as if it was some kind of joke. "He isn't in love with me. We're only friends."

"Nagini, please listen to me. I love Navid, he's like the brother I never had. I know him better than anyone. When you chose Tom over him last night you broke his heart."

"He isn't in love with me I say!" Nagini called, tears obscuring her vision.

"He is! And you've broken his heart! Didn't you see how sad he looked? I've never seen him like that before and neither have you!"

Nagini shook her head stubbornly, backing off a few steps. "You're wrong. He could be sad 'bout something else! Besides, I should have noticed if he was!"

"No, you're wrong! You're so obsessed with yourself that you hardly notice anyone but yourself!" Annabeth shouted.

"How could you say that?" Nagini whispered.

"'Cause it's the truth! You don't care about me or Navid! You know what? Fuck this!" Annabeth turned around and started walking back to the castle. Then she turned again, tears flowed down her face. "Tristan broke up with me yesterday. Wanna know why? 'Cause he'd found a girl that was a hell of a lot prettier than me! That's why! And you know what? I knewhe was cheating on me and still I wouldn't break up with him! I kept telling myself he would change ..."

Nagini took a few steps forward, her hand outstretched for comfort. "I'm so sorry -"

"Don't!" Annabeth screamed, backing off. "I don't want your pity! Just stay the fuck away from me!"

Nagini swallowed, shutting her eyes closed. Then shrugged, stepping backwards. "All right." She murmured and threw a last glance at Annabeth. Then she turned on her heel and walked away; leaving her best friend behind when she most needed her.

~*~

Nagini was standing at the very top of one of Hogwarts towers; the view was spectacular from her height. The sun was setting on the horizon and the air became cooler with each passing minute.

"Ah, just the girl I was looking for." The deep, seductive voice made her body tingle and she turned around, only to be faced with Tom again.  
A crooked smile brokee across his face as he leaned forward so that their noses touched, looking her intensely in the eye. Nagini felt dizzy at the sudden closeness and her gaze fell on his lips. Then she remembered Annabeth and Navid and everything suddenly felt very wrong.

She stepped backwards, tearing her eyes from his perfectly shaped face.

"What? I thought you wanted to -"

"I do, I just ... I can't," she said as she tried to push her way around him, but he vehemently pressed her shoulders against the wall to keep her in front of him. She could have easily pushed him off of her, but she didn't. She could feel her heart beating in her ears.

"You're really hard to read, Nagini," He breathed in her face and gently pushed a lock of hair out of her face. "You've been longing for me for months and now you can't?"

Nagini bit her lower lip, still refusing to look him in the eye. "But why now? Did it take you all this time to decide if you liked me or not?"

Tom smiled lopsidedly and then, without a word, he took one of her hands in his and brought it to the upper-left of his chest, right over his heart. It was racing; beating so quickly that she could feel it pounding against her hand with every pulse.  
She looked at his chest at a loss for words.

"Nagini, please look at me." He lifted her head so she could no longer avoid his gaze and placed both hands on her face, caressing her cheeks. "I want you and need you. Badly."

He leaned closer, his cool breath hitting her face. She stared at him, transfixed by his words. "I ... trust you," He leaned even closer, lowering his face towards her. At this point she couldn't say she cared about anyone else but them. "Voldemort."

Closing her eyes, she finally pressed her lips to his.


End file.
